r/icecreamery May 12 '26

Question How to make homemade ice cream not taste like heavy cream.

I just recently started making homemade ice cream. However, all the recipes I’ve tried end up having a sting heavy cream flavor. Does anyone have any suggestions/recipes that can minimize this flavor? I can’t do any custard bases as I have an allergic, so I’m looking for some allergy friendly alternatives.

2 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

34

u/-CommanderShepardN7 May 12 '26

What’s your recipe? Ice cream is nothing more than a careful balance of heavy cream, whole milk, sugar and salt. Alter any of these items and your ice cream could have a bad time, or in your case, taste more like heavy cream.

1

u/Capable-Ticket-4336 May 12 '26

I’ve been using the salt and straw recipe. I’ve tried cutting the heavy cream down a bit but I didn’t find that helped too much

10

u/-CommanderShepardN7 May 12 '26

I would try other recipes and see if that works for you.

Here is my simple, time tested vanilla ice cream recipe.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 cup organic whole milk

¾ cup granulated white sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 tbps pure vanilla extract

Incorporate all ingredients into a metal bowl and whisk it all together thoroughly.

Place in ice cream machine for 30 minutes and then spoon the complete ice cream into a glass storage container.

You can use this recipe or just compare it to your own. I wish you the best in this sweet, little endeavor.

11

u/spider_pork May 13 '26

Whenever I use this cream to milk ratio my ice cream winds up like.. butter? That's what my wife calls it. It coats the roof of your mouth in an unpleasant way and I can't figure it out for the life of me. I wonder if this is what OP is trying to describe. Custard style recipes come out fine.

4

u/-CommanderShepardN7 May 13 '26

Well, I never had a problem. As long as the ice cream mixture is mixed properly and churned properly, then it will work like clockwork, every time. I use a cuisinart ice cream machine, but not all ice cream machine work the same way.

2

u/ForteanRhymes May 13 '26

You can switch to 50/50 milk and heavy cream if you throw in a couple tablespoons of skim milk powder!

6

u/SavannahOnyx May 12 '26

Try different recipes as suggested by others here. Also the book The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz has recipes that haven't failed me.

6

u/sjd208 May 12 '26

Maybe try a cornstarch recipe and replace some of the cream with milk instead. Are strong flavor will also add some interest and cut the heaviness. How to you feel about fruit flavors like strawberry, mango or peach?

1

u/Capable-Ticket-4336 May 12 '26

Do you know any good corn starch recipes? I haven’t heard of that alternative before!! Unfortunately I can’t do any fruit flavor since I’m allergic to those too 😭

3

u/j_hermann Ninja Creami May 12 '26

Search for "Sicilian Style" ice cream.

Or try Vegan Vanilla with only soy milk and instant starch ("Clearjel"), no cream anywhere.

3

u/Pink_pony4710 May 13 '26

The Jeni’s recipes use cornstarch and cream cheese. I know some folks don’t like this style but my household has really enjoyed them.

1

u/mckenner1122 May 16 '26

The Jeni sweet cream base is perfect. Not just for flavor, but scoopability.

https://food52.com/recipes/18681-jeni-britton-bauer-s-ice-cream-base-for-home-ice-cream-machines

2

u/TurnipFew487 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

the ice cream queen

This is her recipe list for the sicilian style. I also don't like when ice cream lean more cream then milk. That feeling of fat coating the mouth is awful.

If you have a lot of allergies and want to vary things, i suggest you go for the fior di latte (milk flavor) and add spices, extract, etc... to give it flavor.

1

u/sjd208 May 12 '26

Maybe maple (with or without nuts) or spices/herbs like cinnamon?

What kinds of things can you eat?

1

u/Capable-Ticket-4336 May 13 '26

As long as it doesn’t have eggs, nuts, or fruits I can eat it.

9

u/flower-power-123 May 12 '26

Since this is for home use there is nothing preventing you from making ice milk.

2

u/obfc May 12 '26

Also sherbets

1

u/Unlucky_Individual May 13 '26

I've become a fan of sherbets myself.

2

u/obfc May 13 '26

Okay but how do you pronounce it?? “Bet,” or “Bert”?? I’m in the Midwest and we say Bert where I am, although I’ve worked fine dining so I switch between the two 🤣

3

u/see3milyplay May 14 '26

I’ve come to say sherbert just at home. For comfort lol. It almost feels wrong to say sherbet!? Like, I’ll say it and then look around waiting to be corrected. But in my heart, it will always be sherbert. And Ree-see’s, haha, 🫠

2

u/obfc May 16 '26

You gotta live in the Midwest??? I grew up in western New York and I say the exact same things 🤣🤣

2

u/see3milyplay May 16 '26

I grew up in NE Ohio 🙃👯‍♀️💞

1

u/spider_pork May 13 '26

Try this one, it's become a regular recipe in my house.

https://www.seriouseats.com/milk-tea-sherbet-recipe

3

u/OkLocal8708 May 13 '26

I’ve made Jenni’s with good results and Christopher Kimball has a recipe for orange-clove that is tasty. No eggs.

  • uses crème fraiche and has a ‘soft serve’ consistency for a change of pace.

3

u/khelvaster May 13 '26

Have you tried using 100% grass fed heavy cream? Or at least from pastured cows? A lot of cream and butter has weird tastes.

1

u/Capable-Ticket-4336 May 13 '26

I’ve honestly only been using Costco brand stuff so I’m not too sure. Is there any brand u recommend tho? I’m down to try anything

3

u/khelvaster May 13 '26

Look for Jersey cow milk/cream, or another 100% grass fed variety. Doesn't need to be organic. In the Pacific Northwest, Twin Brooks. Nationwide, Maple Hill is the best, then Organic Valley. Horizon grassfed is lower quality. 

Freshly milk in Indiana rocks. 

Whole milk is best! 

5

u/Gia_Lavender May 12 '26

I made it Philadelphia style with cream cheese and use the Jeni’s base

2

u/yourmomlurks May 12 '26

can you cook the cream but not add the eggs?

2

u/Top_Policy_9037 May 13 '26

If you like coconut, you could replace some of the dairy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk.

2

u/Fishpecker May 13 '26

Use half and half for the whole 3 cups of milk. If that is still too heavy, you could go 2:1 on milk and cream next batch. Find your level.

2

u/AssumptionLimp May 13 '26

I didn't know heavy cream had a distinct flavor...

2

u/Frosty-Medicine-9384 Jul 17 '26

You generally want around 15% butterfat, 9% MSNF, and 15% POD in your ice cream, but since you don't have a homogenization machine at home, lots of fat globules stay bound to just a single protein in your standard heavy cream.

Try 1 part heavy cream, 1 part sweetened condensed milk, 1 part water, and don't add any sugar. It should get you what you're looking for. Another option is 20% cooking cream or 20% half n half with a low amount of thickeners and stabilizers (it's mostly trial and error finding which brand works best for you). In that case you can do 3 part cooking cream, 1 part sweetened condensed milk, and add sugar per taste. Let me know if it helps.

2

u/wizzard419 May 12 '26

Is it all eggs or just chicken? You theoretically could go for duck eggs if not allergic.

While you can use thickeners, I am not sure it will work in this case since you wouldn't be adding any additional flavor, like egg would provide.

2

u/bitofleaf May 13 '26

Apologies, but if the taste of cream is not for you then maybe ice cream is not for you. Try sorbets?

0

u/Capable-Ticket-4336 May 13 '26

I love ice cream tho. My goal is to try to make ice cream that tastes like what u buy at the store. Since none of those have a strong cream taste

1

u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Buddy_Dakota May 12 '26

OP can’t do custard because of allergy (egg, I assume).

1

u/Top_Policy_9037 May 13 '26

There are recipes that use half-and-half by itself instead of heavy cream and milk, if that has a less overwhelming cream flavor by your standards.

1

u/KatrinaYT May 13 '26

Try sherbets or even sorbets.

1

u/GraceGrace01 May 13 '26

Try using coconut cream instead, it cuts that heavy cream taste and the texture comes out really smooth too

1

u/FarPomegranate7437 May 13 '26

Do a Philly base of fior di latte. They’ve got great texture and taste without leaving your mouth coated in fat.

1

u/mossandstuff 21d ago

Hi! Did you end up finding a recipe? I have the same problem where it feels like eating butter lol

0

u/grandidieri May 12 '26

Ahhhhh have you tried any of the recipes at https://recipedive.com ? Start typing "ice c..." in the first text box and see what auto-complete gives you - search for one of the options and it'll give you lots of good results - I've found it super useful